NYC arms law takes effect after firearms groups lose injunctions bid

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Sep 2022 15:42

Times Square in New York City will become a gun-free zone with the new arms law.

City officials are planning to create gun-free zones in sensitive areas.

After overcoming multiple judicial challenges, new gun legislation limiting concealing and carrying guns in "sensitive sites", such as Times Square, went into effect in the US state of New York on Thursday.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who defended the Concealed Carry Improvement Act in court, promised to defend the constitutionality of state laws aimed at protecting New Yorkers.

"In a major victory, my office has defended New York's Concealed Carry Improvement Act against baseless attacks by the gun lobby... We will continue to defend the constitutionality of our laws to protect New Yorkers from gun violence," she said on social media.

In a major victory, my office has defended New York's Concealed Carry Improvement Act against baseless attacks by the gun lobby.

This law will take effect tomorrow. We will continue to defend the constitutionality of our laws to protect New Yorkers from gun violence.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) August 31, 2022

For more than a century, New York state required background checks for those seeking concealed carry permits. The US Supreme Court overturned this law in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen decision in June for violating the Second Amendment.

New York state established new laws on July 1, in reaction to the Bruen ruling, banning the carrying of concealed guns in bars, libraries, schools, government buildings, and hospitals, and improving background checks.

The Gun Owners of America and the Gun Owners Foundation requested an injunction to prevent the bill from going into effect in September, claiming that it would "essentially make all of NY a gun-free zone and infringes upon the rights of its citizens."

The application for an injunction was denied by a federal judge on Wednesday, according to The Hill. Judge Glenn Suddaby of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York ruled that the gun groups lacked standing to represent their members in court.

On June 23, the US Supreme Court ruled that American citizens have the fundamental right to carry arms in public. This comes at a time when gun violence has become the main culprit behind deaths in the US.